The NWT Liberal Party say it will have a confirmed candidate after a new federal leader is chosen on March 9 and before Parliament returns of March 24, according to David Monroe, chair of the territorial party's board of directors.
Liberal leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Jan. 6. He also got the Governor General's permission to suspend Parliament until late March.
While on a break, the Liberals are busy looking for a replacement leader federally, with two major names, Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland being the front-runners. At a more local level, MP Michael McLeod announced his retirement last July. The Liberals still have not found anyone to replace him.
At least five people have so far expressed interest in being the NWT's next Liberal candidate for Parliament, however, said David Monroe.
The Liberals are not alone in having a vacancy. The Green Party also does not have a candidate in the NWT. And, according to the People's Party of Canada's website, it does not yet have a candidate for MP in the territory.
"Our goal is to find candidates in most, if not all, ridings, as we did in the two previous elections," said Martin Masse, a spokesperson for the People's Party. "I can confirm that we haven't found a candidate yet in the Northwest Territories."
The NDP candidate is Kelvin Kotchilea, who was nominated in 2023 for the next federal election.
The Conservative candidate is Kimberly Fairman, who was nominated in 2024, and this marks her first time running.
The federal election is due to be held by October.